Brasilia.- Silvio Santos, a television executive and host known for his big smile and his phrase “Who wants money?”, has died after a decades-long career. He was 93.
Santos owned the SBT television network and created several variety shows. The most famous of these was named after him, which he hosted since 1963, and in recent years was broadcast on Sunday evenings. It is one of the longest-running television shows in Brazil.
Santos brought other successful programs to his network, such as “El show del millón” and the reality show “La casa de los artistas.”
The cause of his death was not reported. He had been reported admitted to a hospital in recent weeks.
“Today the sky rejoices with the arrival of our beloved Silvio Santos. He lived 93 years to bring happiness and love to all Brazilians… That wide smile and familiar voice will always be remembered with much gratitude,” the SBT network said in a statement on social media on Saturday.
His passing will change weekends in millions of Brazilian homes that tuned into the “Silvio Santos Show” and were greeted by its opening jingle: “Here comes Silvio Santos!” He folded money airplanes and dropped them over the audience during his show, some of whose episodes lasted up to 10 hours. He interacted constantly with the audience and, with a custom-made microphone attached to his shirt collar, was free to wave his hands in the air.
Even after turning 90, she continued to dye her hair brown, which contributed to her timelessness. Her well-groomed hair became another of her trademarks.
In 2013, Forbes magazine compared him to Oprah Winfrey and film directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.
Santos was universally known by his stage name, although he was born Senor Abravanel in the raucous Lapa neighborhood in central Rio de Janeiro. As a teenager, he sold pens and plastic covers for voter ID cards and performed tricks with coins and cards.
His sales tactics were so attractive that he was offered an audition to be a radio host. He moved from station to station in Rio and, after a stint in the army, made it big in the media in Sao Paulo. His first television job came in the early 1960s on the Globo network, then called TV Paulista, where the “Programa de Silvio Santos” was later born.
About a decade later, he acquired his first television concession and set out to build an empire. He founded SBT, which in 2021 was the third most-watched network among the 214 million people in the South American country.
Not all of his witticisms went down well. He was repeatedly accused of misogyny for comments about women’s appearance or that caused discomfort. On at least two occasions, he declined to hug female stars on his show, saying he didn’t want to “get turned on.” In 2016, he asked a 5-year-old girl if she preferred sex, drugs or money. But, as the owner of his own network, he never faced any punishment.
Santos also had ventures in cosmetics, hotels and even a bank. Forbes estimated that Santos’ net worth from 30 companies would be 2 billion reais (about $380 million) in 2020.
